She
could feel the fear coursing through her body with every heart beat. The
sting of sweat hit her eyes and she wiped at her face furiously knowing
it wouldn’t do any good; she had twenty more miles before she reached
the base and the sweat wasn’t going to miraculously disappear. What had
she been thinking heading into town when she knew he was out there; it
was like asking to die. She stopped to look over her shoulder, but he
was like a chameleon the way he was able to merge with his surroundings.
She prayed she would make it in time; the project was useless without
her. She crouched, unmoving, for what seemed like hours waiting
nervously for any sign of movement, any sign that he was waiting.

He
had killed the other one like her; her handlers had made sure she knew
every gruesome detail. They didn’t want her letting her guard down and
getting killed; they were gonna be real damn happy when they found out
about this little…incident. Course if I die I won’t have to
deal with their angry accusations, she thought hysterically and
almost whimpered. She shook her head and ordered herself to snap out of
it; she couldn’t afford to lose it now, not when was so close. She
either had to go now or stay here and most likely be killed. She made a
decision and ran like hell.

He
stood there in the shadows and watched her go. She was brave; he’d give
her that. She had been on the verge of hysteria a moment ago and he
could still smell the fear on her, but she hadn’t let it paralyze her.
She had used that adrenaline coursing through her and taken flight. He
admired that. It was just a matter of time before she ventured out
again; the fear would fade and her curiosity would outweigh her sense of
danger. She’d sneak away and he would get her. All that was left now was
the waiting. He turned silently and disappeared into the dark night.

She
snuck back onto the base easily and crept down to her room. She didn’t
turn on any lights; she didn’t need to. She opened her door and backed
in; watching the hall to make sure no one came out and saw her. She
leaned her forehead against the door as it clicked shut and breathed a
sigh of relief. That relief was short-lived however when she heard the
lamp snap on; her whole body tensed.

“Welcome back, Riana. I trust your adventure was all you’d hoped.” She
turned slowly to face the commander and found him gazing at her
expectantly as he relaxed in her easy chair.

“I,
uh, don’t know what you mean. I’ve only been out for a walk around the
base, couldn’t sleep.” He rose swiftly to his feet, anger creeping into
voice.

“Do
not lie to me! Security cameras have you jumping the fence around your
building and disabling the alarm on the back gate.”

“That’s impossible! Security cameras were down.” The commander smiled at
her slip and she bit her lip sheepishly.

“You
think we don’t notice if the cameras go down? We all know what you’re
capable of; we keep you under very tight surveillance.”

“I
just wanted to see what it was like outside; you have no right to keep
me here against my will!” She was nearly shouting and suddenly he was in
her face and he was furious. He shook her roughly as he raged at her,

“We
have every right to keep you here! We made you; you belong to us.
We keep you here for your protection. Do I have to remind you of the
result of your sister’s curiosity? You’re not ready to face him; he
would tear you apart limb from limb. Should I describe again what she
looked like when he was through with her? The blood? The smell?”
She shook her head violently, feeling ill.

“No.
No, please, once was enough. I’m sorry I broke out, but I came back as
soon as-” she broke off abruptly and the commander’s grip tightened as
he narrowed his eyes.

“You
saw him?” She stared back silently afraid to tell him. “Did he try to
talk to you?”

“What?” she asked puzzled. “Why would he talk to me? You told me
he was ‘vicious and without reason’ that I should run if I saw him
because he would attack without provocation.”

“He
is. He is. I just meant did he approach you or come after you?” The
commander let her go and backed up a step.

“But
you said talk. Why did you-?”

“That’s enough,” he interrupted. “I misspoke. Now did he attack you or
not?”

“He
approached and I ran, just like you told me to.”

“Good. It’s time you should be in bed I think. We’ll deal with
punishment in the morning.” He headed towards the door and she turned to
watch him go.

“Punishment?” He paused in the door and said,

“Of course. Did you think you could
flagrantly break the rules and there’d be no repercussions? I thought
we’d taught you better than that.” And with that he left, the soft click
of the door sounding to her ears like the lock of a prison gate slamming
home. She sank onto the bed knowing her punishment for her night of
“freedom” would indeed be severe. She had better get some rest.

“What
measures have been taken to ensure this is her first and last
infraction?” Weiss demanded. The commander remained unshaken in the face
of his superior’s anger.

“She
was, of course, punished for her rebellion and her training and
conditioning have intensified. She’s not allowed outside without an
armed escort and we have a guard posted outside her room every night.”
Weiss waved his hand dismissively as he took a puff off his cigar.

“You
and I both know Riana could disarm and disable those men in a matter of
seconds. You should be keeping her bolted in her room.”

“You
honestly think that would stop her? I’m not sure if there are any
safety measures we could take that would keep her in if she decided she
wanted to leave.” He could see Weiss gearing up for another rant and
forestalled his anger with an explanation. “Obedience has been ingrained
in her psyche since she was conceived; that is what keeps her
here. I’m surprised she was able to overcome it long enough to sneak off
base. I can assure you it was merely an aberration; it won’t happen
again.”

“I’ll
take your word for it,” Weiss scowled as he leaned forward and spat,
“but if she gets loose again we may have to scrap the project. We can’t
afford to have her running around causing trouble, and God forbid he
gets a hold of her! Get her under control or she’s dead.”

“Yes, sir.”

Riana
felt as though she had been locked inside for years rather than months.
Although when she considered it she had to admit that she had been
imprisoned in one way or another all her life. They were always keeping
her hidden away like some dirty secret. The loneliness and isolation ate
at her until she wanted to scream out in frustration, but something
always kept her from giving in to the impulse. Something deep inside
held her back from doing so many of the things she longed to do, and she
didn’t understand why what was so simple for some seemed an
impossibility for her.

At
least before she’d been able to go outside; she’d had free run of the
base. Now they locked her up like an animal in a cage. She sat on the
bed, back to the wall, knees hugged tight against her chest, rocking
back and forth as she stared at the door and thought. She thought about
how she could open that door and take down her guard with one simple
flick of her wrist. She thought about how she could scale the fence,
disable the alarms, and be free forever. They had tried to tell her that
the world outside was a horrible, scary, dangerous place yet they lived
in it every day. How bad could it be? None of them had even half the
defensive capability that she had, but they were trying to convince her
that she needed their protection. She sat and she thought,
but she did nothing and she didn’t understand why.

It
was about four months after her first trip off base and they had started
letting her outside more often. She’d thought the guards were a
permanent measure, but apparently that had only been part of her
punishment. Bastards! She was almost surprised by her vehement
reaction. Although she didn’t enjoy her captivity, she had accepted it
as necessary. She rarely had bad thoughts about her handlers. Sure, she
occasionally thought of ways to escape this place, but deep down she
knew they were helping her, protecting her. She knew they cared about
her. She stopped walking and tilted her head, lost in thought. She
did know that, right? Or was that what they made her believe?
She shook her head in denial of her thoughts. No, they know what’s
best; they care about me. She’d never doubted that before; why was
she suddenly questioning her existence now. Strange. She started walking
again and pushed her doubts aside.

“So
do you think it will work?” the man asked glancing around nervously to
be sure they weren’t overheard.

“I
told you; I changed her drug treatment a couple weeks ago. Soon they
won’t be able to control her and she can leave this place for good.”

“Do
you think they’ll find out what we’ve done?”

“Honestly? I don’t give a damn. It’s worth any risk to get her away from
those monsters. Are you worried about your involvement?”

“No,
you’re right. Something had to be done; I just hope we did the right
thing.”

She
knew it was only a nightmare, but somehow that didn’t appease the terror
she felt. It continued to burn in the pit of her stomach as she stood
staring at the man she had been taught was her biggest enemy. He was
tall, taller than the men on base; he towered over her own five foot
four inch frame. He was broad-shouldered and his body radiated strength
and power. He stepped toward her and she threw her hands up to ward him
off, but he just grabbed her arms tightly and pulled her close to him.
She looked into his eyes and fear shuddered through her at the intensity
of his gaze. He leaned in and whispered in her ear,

“Leave them and come to me. I’m waiting for you.” His warm breath on the
side of her neck caused a shiver of another kind to slide down her
spine. She pulled away violently and then he was gone. Riana sat up in
bed with a gasp, her hand going to her throat. She could still feel the
warmth, as though he had actually been there and she hurried to turn on
the light. She hugged her pillow tightly as she wondered what it meant.
Every night he came to her in her dreams, whispering warnings, issuing
commands. Sometimes, like tonight, she was frightened, but other
times…other times she experienced a whole separate set of emotions when
he confronted her.

One
thing remained consistent though, no matter what she felt she never
attempted to fight him. He was waiting for her; what the hell was that
about? He was supposed to be her enemy, but she never got that feeling
from him in her dreams; his manner was always seductive rather than
menacing. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what the dreams meant. She
pushed him from her thoughts and tried to get back to sleep, but as she
drifted off she was bothered that although she had looked into his eyes
she hadn’t been able to see his face.

The
next few weeks her thoughts became increasingly odd and rebellious. She
resented the way the commander and his men ordered her around and
treated her like a child. She resented the way they kept her caged up
and locked away, never allowing her to see or do anything remotely
interesting. They said they knew what was best for her, but she
wasn’t a child anymore and no matter what they thought, she belonged to
no one. Her nights turned into restless tossing and turning whereas
before she had always slept peacefully. She couldn’t take it anymore so
she snuck out for a walk.

As
soon as she stepped outside her nerves were soothed by the cool, gentle
breeze that blew across the base. As she approached the fence
around her building the feeling of being caged returned full force, and
she was over it in an instant. On the other side she closed her eyes,
breathing in the fresh air, and just…wandered. When she opened her eyes
she found herself standing at the gate. She stood for what seemed like
hours just gazing at the world beyond, wishing she could be a part of
it. Wishing she was free to do what she wanted without being watched and
followed. She stepped forward and took hold of the gate, and suddenly
she was surrounded by guards.

“Step
away from the gate.” She tightened her hold as she turned her head to
look at the soldier who had spoken. “Riana. Step away from the gate!
That’s an order.” She stepped back from the gate, keeping her gaze fixed
on him. She stood completely still for a moment, her face expressionless
as she explained tautly,

“I
don’t take orders anymore.” She leapt into the air, bringing both legs
up and kicking two of the soldiers in the face. She landed and dropped
to a crouch, sweeping the legs of the other soldiers before rendering
them unconscious and disarming them in a blur of motion. She set the
rifles aside and kept two of the Glocks for herself as well as a couple
knives. She ripped the wiring loose from the camera at the gate and
scaled the fence. When she landed on the other side she smiled and took
a deep breath, feeling free for the first time in her life, then she
took off down the road.

“I
thought you said this wouldn’t happen, Commander,” Weiss demanded
pompously as he came into the office. The commander looked up in
surprise.

“What?”

“Oh,
you didn’t hear? Your girl just took out ten of my best men, disabled a
camera, and jumped the gate. She’s gone.”

“That’s impossible! There’s no way she could overcome her conditioning
in such a way!”

“Obviously she has and with her special abilities, there’s no
telling where she is or what she’s doing.” Weiss leaned onto the desk
and spat, “I’m giving you twenty-four hours to find her and contain her
before I report your ass to the committee.” Weiss turned towards the
door, a smile on his lips. “In a way you’ve done me a favor; I’ll
finally be able to get rid of you and end this project once and for all.
Quite a day, quite a day!” The commander swore as Weiss slammed the door
behind him. Now what was he going to do?

The
base was a little off the beaten path, but close enough to town that she
knew she’d make it long before morning. She stayed on the road for a
long time before realizing she was an easy target this way. She slowed
for a moment before veering off into the trees. Riana smiled to herself;
she could hide more easily here and still get into town. The smile
disappeared from her face as she remembered who else might be out here.
She stopped suddenly; what the hell had she done? When she heard a twig
snap she jumped and spun around, trying to see everywhere at once. She
stumbled backwards for awhile and then heard another noise, closer this
time. She turned around in a panic, prepared to run for it and slammed
into a hard, immovable object. She bounced back and looked up quickly;
her heart felt like it stopped beating and time slowed as she gazed up
at her worst nightmare.

He
was just as big as in her dream, his body nothing but hard muscle. He
stepped closer as she cowered in fear and a beam of moonlight
illuminated his face. Her breath caught in her throat. He’s
beautiful, she thought as she stared at him in surprise. He had a
strong, square jaw covered in dark stubble that almost, but not quite,
constituted a beard. His features were sharply defined, almost harsh in
their beauty, and his hair was as black as night, pulled back in a short
ponytail with a loose strand falling forward onto his cheek.

“Hello, Riana.” The sound of his voice spurred her into action. He
easily blocked her swing and when she threw another of her lightning
quick blows he grabbed her arm using her momentum to gently twist her
arm behind her back as he spun her into a headlock and imprisoned her
tightly against his chest. She felt his laugh rumble against her back as
he placed his mouth close to her ear in a move reminiscent of her
dreams. “You think you can fight me? I’m the only reason you exist.” She
began to struggle, not understanding his comment.

“Let
me go,” she demanded imperiously.

“You
think I will release you so you may try to attack me again?” He smiled
against her cheek. “Let me ask you something, dearest Riana. Had any
dreams lately?” He felt her struggles cease and knew that she had indeed
received the messages he’d sent her. He moved the arm he held from
behind her back, tangling their fingers together as he wound both her
arm and his around her waist and lowered his voice to a whisper, “Is
that why you’re here? Did curiosity finally get the better of you?”

“I
don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure
you do. Those dreams you keep having? The ones that started a couple
months ago, about you and me? You couldn’t fight me then either.” She
felt the familiar shiver from her dream chase over her skin, causing her
knees to weaken and renewed her struggles.

“You’re wrong; I can fight you and I will.” She felt him shake his head
and tighten his hold as he said softly,

“You
can try, but it isn’t necessary. We need not be enemies.” She turned her
head to look back over her shoulder at him.

“Are
you suggesting I join you?”

“It’s
not as ridiculous as you make it out to be. You’ve been
lied to all your life; I’m not what you
think.”

“You’re not a vicious killer?” He hesitated.

“Well, yes I am that, but…” She whipped her head backward
suddenly, catching him off guard. His hold loosened enough for her to
escape and she ran like hell. He wasn’t stunned for long though and he
was able to catch her very quickly, knocking her to the ground. He
turned her on her back as he straddled her holding her wrists above her
head with one hand. As if by magic a syringe appeared in his hand; he
pulled the cap off with his teeth and leaned toward her,

“I
had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but if you insist…” Her eyes widened
and she pleaded with him to let her go, but he just smiled. “This might
sting a little.” She felt a slight pinch on her arm and then her vision
grew hazy. He must have let go of her wrists once the shot kicked in
because the last thing she remembered before losing consciousness was
reaching out to caress his face as he pulled her off the ground. She
thought he smiled, but she couldn’t be sure. Then everything went black.

He
watched her as she slept. He tested the strength of her bonds again to
make sure she wouldn’t get free, and smiled in anticipation of her
reaction when she awoke. She would hate being restrained this way, but
it was necessary; there was no way she’d listen to him otherwise. He
brushed her hair back and gently caressed her cheek. Sweet Riana, she
had no idea what she was, what she could become with his help. It was
too bad about the other one, but Riana had always been the stronger of
the two; he knew she would be able to handle the truth.

Riana
woke slowly; she wasn’t sure what had happened. She didn’t remember
going to bed, but she could tell that was where she was. She tried to
roll over, but found that she was held in place and unable to move her
arms and legs. Her eyes flew open as she looked around wildly and saw
that she was chained to the bed. She tugged desperately at her
restraints as memory came flooding back, but the chains seemed to be
unbreakable. He must have made them special for me, she thought;
she could have easily snapped regular chains. She heard a rustle of
movement from the corner of the room and suddenly he was there standing
over her.

“Good, you’re awake.”

“What
are you going to do to me? What do you want?” She tried to look unafraid
and angry, but she spoiled the effect by trembling. He watched her
intently, his expression betraying nothing of his thoughts.

“What
do I want? Now that is a good question.” He sat next to her on
the bed, his hand reaching out to stroke her cheek. She wanted to draw
away from him, but she felt incapable of movement as he leaned down and
whispered, “I don’t think you’re ready for the answer to that particular
question.” He stood abruptly, turning away from her. “What am I going to
do to you? Enlighten you, inform you, instruct you; I will be your
guide. I will set you on your true path. Not the path your
captors had in store, that path leads to blind obedience and
subjugation. No, my plan is to set you free.” Riana looked at him in
confusion. Captors? What- he was her captor!

“You’ll set me free, huh? How about starting with these chains?” He
smiled and shook his head.

“I
can’t do that yet; this is the only way you’ll listen.” All at once she
was angry.

“You’re insane! I know we’re not here so you can “set me free”. I know
what you’re capable of; I know what you did to her! So why don’t we just
get on with it because I gotta say – the suspense? It’s killin’ me!” He
was so quick she was barely able to register that he was moving and then
he was leaning over her, grasping her chin as he ground out,

“I
know what you think I did, but I’m not what they’ve told you.
They’ve filled your head with lies for so long I’m not even sure you’d
recognize the truth if it was right in front of you.” He let go and
shoved himself away from her, his voice bitter. “I’m not here to kill
you, princess; I’m here to save you.” As she sputtered in disbelief he
left the room, slamming the door behind him.

She
leaned up to stare at the door he’d closed behind him. Yeah. Right. He
was here to save her! That’s why he’d drugged her and strapped
her to the bed. She collapsed back onto the pillows; she had to find a
way to get out of here.